Experts Call Birthday Girl Princess Beatrice “The Royals’ Secret Weapon”

As Marie Claire reported yesterday, the ongoing rift between Prince Harry and the royal family—in particular his brother, Prince William—is “really stressful” for his cousins Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, with whom the Duke of Sussex is still extremely close. The women must often feel like they’re in the middle of a tug-of-war, with deep love for both sides.

Today, Beatrice turns 35—born on 8/8/88, which is very cool—and, The Mirror reports, Mrs. Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi is the royal family’s secret weapon to healing the aforementioned rift between Harry and the royal family. Beatrice—currently ninth in line to the throne—isn’t a working royal and holds a job outside of the Firm. That said, she and husband Edo are firm fixtures at royal family events, and she holds considerable influence. Beatrice “has come up against some tough times, including the scandal surrounding her father Prince Andrew and her mother Sarah Ferguson’s breast cancer diagnosis,” The Mirror writes. “However, experts believe she dealt with this admirably—and could be best placed to solve the feud between the Sussexes and the King and Prince William.”

“Beatrice is a great role model for others who experience family troubles,” brand and culture expert Nick Ede told OK. “She’s dealt with a lot of turbulence in her life, including a broken home and a father—the Duke of York—who’s been quite controversial. And she appears to have weathered those storms very well. She also has the ability to see both sides of the coin, so with regards to Harry’s falling out with William and King Charles, she can be more open-minded and encourage both sides to discuss, talk about, and potentially heal that rift. I think if anyone can heal it, it’ll be her, or perhaps Princess Anne. Beatrice could well be the royals’ secret weapon.”

Royal expert Jennie Bond said that Beatrice—who gave birth to daughter Sienna in 2021 and is also stepmom to Edo’s son from a previous relationship, Wolfie—is much more accessible and relatable than some members of the royal family: “Beatrice has put up with a lot of pressure and a lot of criticism in her life, but she has really come into her own,” she said. “We already have a divorced Queen on the throne. Now we have a relatable princess. Beatrice is a stepmother who talks publicly about her dyslexia and who has more recently had to deal with the trauma of her mother Sarah, Duchess of York, having breast cancer. It makes her much more accessible. She seems to be universally liked.”

Bea has also been described as “carefree” and “down to earth” and, though she currently works as a consultant at software company Afiniti, royal expert Ingrid Seward said Beatrice could be a “great asset as a full-working royal,” per The Daily Express. (Beatrice has dipped her toe in this pond, having served as one of the King’s seven Counsellors of State for nearly a year thanks to her position in the line of succession.)

Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, said “She has all her mother’s charm. She remembers people’s names and is so nice to everyone. In fact, she’s a natural with people from all walks of life.”

Bea and Edo celebrated their third wedding anniversary last month, and Seward said Beatrice is living her “happily ever after”—and that this has played a huge part in her meteoric rise as a “key royal player” within the past year. Maybe, just maybe, in year 35 she will help mend fences between brothers—one can only hope.

Side note—fun Beatrice fact: In addition to being a princess, through her marriage to Edo, she is also an Italian Contessa and Nobile Donna, or noble woman.